In this task, you are given an article. Your task is to summarize the article in a sentence.

Q: In a world where how fast you can assimilate and analyse data, then act on it, makes the difference between profit and loss, computing speed is key.
This is why banks, insurance firms and hedge funds invest millions on technology to give them an edge when trading and to offset human error.
Quantum computers, that owe more to quantum mechanics than electronics, promise to be exponentially more powerful than traditional computers, holding out the tantalising prospect of near-perfect trading strategies and highly accurate forecasting and risk assessments.
"Financial services is a data-rich environment," says Kevin Hanley, director of design at the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). "Time is money and the ability to process data fast could have a huge potential benefit for our customers."
Classical computing relies on binary digits or bits - ones and zeros representing on/off, true/false states.
Quantum computing, on the other hand, features qubits, which can be both 0 or 1 at the same time - a state known as superposition. It all goes back to Schrodinger's cat, but that's another story....
Subatomic particles such as electrons, photons or ions can be made to behave in this mysterious way.
And because of this flexibility, qubits can do a lot more - a quantum computer could theoretically carry out trillions of calculations per second.
But these computers aren't easy to build or operate. Quantum processors from one of the leading manufacturers in this field -  D-Wave -  need to be cooled to just above absolute zero (-273.15C). They also need to be free from any electromagnetic interference.
This makes them bulky and costly; D-Wave's computers cost about $10m-15m.
Ironically they're also a bit limited in the kinds of calculations they can currently do, and many observers are still sceptical about how fast they really are.
So it's fair to say we're still at the very early stages of quantum computing.
Goldman Sachs, RBS, Guggenheim Partners and Commonwealth Bank of Australia have all invested in quantum computing, with the aim of stealing a march on their competitors.
"This is interesting to the financial world because if you can find an algorithmic advantage to solve a problem, that can give you a great competitive advantage," says Colin Williams, director of business development for D-Wave.
Google, Nasa, Lockheed Martin, the US Department of Energy and the University of Southern California have all used D-Wave's systems so far.
Other tech companies, such as Cambridge Quantum Computing, QxBranch and Rigetti, are also rushing to develop the hardware and software needed to make quantum computing a reality.
Quantum computers could solve problems in a day that would take classical computers thousands of years to solve.
So in the world of investment, they could consider millions of different global investment scenarios and calculate which ones have the best chance of success over the long-term.
"We can build an optimal portfolio today, but tomorrow it won't be optimal and needs to be rebalanced, which is expensive," says Marcos Lopez de Prado, a senior managing director at Guggenheim Partners.
Quantum computers could, in theory, give investment firms much better visibility over the longer-term to make more accurate predictions and reduce this need to tinker with their portfolios, saving costs and possibly boosting profits.
"If you can predict the US dollar/Swiss franc exchange rate a tenth of a cent more reliably, then the value isn't in the computer, it's in the cost saving," says Mr Williams.
Better forecasting could also reduce the prevalence of high-frequency trading, which has been accused of creating market volatility.
High-frequency traders have also been blamed for raising the costs of trading for ordinary investors by swooping into purchases nanoseconds before an interested party and reselling the stocks at a higher price.
So how soon will quantum computers be readily available?
D-Wave's Mr Williams reckons businesses will have access to quantum computing functionality by 2018, whereas RBS's Mr Hanley thinks it will be "five to 10 years before quantum computing comes of age".
But this isn't stopping financial institutions getting excited.
Blu Putnam, chief economist for the CME group - a US-based derivatives market - says quantum computing has led to a "mind-set change" where financial services "now seek out the nearly impossible to solve problems" in asset and risk management.
Before then, there is a lot of preparation to do.
Quantum computers can't be interrogated in the same way as traditional computers. The algorithms - sets of complex mathematical rules - used for classical computing need to be reworked to fit into the quantum system.
And finding and training computer scientists to understand and use these systems effectively is another big challenge for the financial services industry.
But Mr Hanley says: "Rather than observe these changes from a distance or be last in the queue, I'd rather be at the front and have a seat at the board."
Quantum computing may offer potential benefits to the financial services industry, but it also poses risks.
Banks rely on encryption to keep their transactions and customer data secure. This involves scrambling and unscrambling data using keys made of very large numbers - tens, if not hundreds, of digits long.
A hacker would have to find the right key by trial and error and test it in order to unlock the data - a process that could take hundreds of years even with the most powerful of today's supercomputers.
But quantum computers could crack the code with relative ease, potentially undermining the security of the entire global financial services industry.
Such a possibility leads Mr Lopez de Prado to fear that governments might outlaw quantum computers entirely.
"Governments could say they should be banned because otherwise there would be no secrets, but they can't be un-invented.
"We need a new mathematical breakthrough that creates an unbreakable encryption," he says.
Cryptographers are busy working on new algorithms to block attacks from future quantum computers and many believe this will be possible.
But the industry needs this breakthrough fast. The processing power of quantum computing is growing with each generation.
Follow Technology of Business editor @matthew_wall on Twitter.

A: Superfast quantum computers could transform the world of finance, advocates say.
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Q: Black, 52, was filmed apparently naming staff at other clubs who could be induced to pass on information about players to a company for money.
Such payments would be against Football Association rules.
Black, who oversaw Aston Villa's final seven Premier League matches last season, has denied the allegations.
"It doesn't take too much to get these people involved," Black says in the covert recording.
"They won't have an awful lot of money."
Former Aberdeen striker Black quotes a figure of "a couple of grand", which the Telegraph claims was his suggestion of a suitable payment to an unnamed assistant coach at a Championship side in return for introducing players to the undercover reporters' fictitious agency.
Black denies suggesting that any football official should be paid, saying that his "couple of grand"comment related to a freelance scout that an agency looking to break into the football industry might approach.
A spokesperson for Black said his client did not recall the possibility of bribing officials being mentioned.
"This was not the purpose of the meeting so far as our client understood it. Any suggestion that he was complicit in such discussions is false," the spokesperson added.
Southampton said they were "fully committed" to investigating the claims and intend to work closely with the Premier League and Football Association on them.
Black has held permanent managerial posts at Motherwell and Coventry, as well as having caretaker spells at Birmingham, Sunderland, Blackburn, Rotherham and Villa.
His played for Aberdeen and French side Metz and won three caps for Scotland before he became a coach at Celtic.
The allegations about Black are the latest from the Daily Telegraph's investigation into corruption in football.
On Thursday, Barnsley assistant boss Tommy Wright was sacked over claims he took cash for trying to engineer certain transfers. Wright has "categorically denied" the claims.
Sam Allardyce left his post as England manager on Tuesday, making a "whole-hearted apology" in the wake of allegations in the newspaper that he offered advice on how to "get around" rules on player transfers.

A: Southampton assistant manager Eric Black gave undercover reporters advice on how to bribe officials at other clubs, the Daily Telegraph has claimed.
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Q: Sam Stanton struck on the half-hour and Billy King fired United's second just after the break.
Scott Fraser converted a penalty after Matty Smith had been fouled by Jamie Pyper.
Cameron Muirhead replied for Cowdenbeath but Smith netted from close range to complete the scoring.
United move three points clear of Dundee, with the city rivals meeting next Sunday at Dens Park.
Before then Dundee, who have two wins out of two, will play their third group game against Cowdenbeath on Wednesday.
Cowden have one win so far while Buckie Thistle, who lost at Dundee on Saturday, and Raith Rovers have no points.
The eight group winners and four best runners-up progress to the knockout stage where they are joined by the four teams in European competition - Celtic, Aberdeen, Rangers and St Johnstone.
Match ends, Dundee United 4, Cowdenbeath 1.
Second Half ends, Dundee United 4, Cowdenbeath 1.
Foul by Scott Allardice (Dundee United).
Robbie Buchanan (Cowdenbeath) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Paul McMullan (Dundee United) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Matthew Smith (Dundee United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Scott Rumsby (Cowdenbeath).
Attempt missed. Jamie Robson (Dundee United) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Corner,  Dundee United. Conceded by Joe McGovern.
Attempt saved. Matthew Smith (Dundee United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Attempt blocked. Matthew Smith (Dundee United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Substitution, Cowdenbeath. Ryan Connelly replaces Cameron Muirhead.
Attempt missed. Billy King (Dundee United) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right from a direct free kick.
Substitution, Dundee United. Cammy Ballantyne replaces Lewis Toshney.
Billy King (Dundee United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Scott Rumsby (Cowdenbeath).
Goal!  Dundee United 4, Cowdenbeath 1. Matthew Smith (Dundee United) left footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal.
Attempt saved. Billy King (Dundee United) right footed shot from more than 35 yards is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Foul by Scott Rumsby (Cowdenbeath).
Tam Scobbie (Dundee United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Goal!  Dundee United 3, Cowdenbeath 1. Cameron Muirhead (Cowdenbeath) left footed shot from the right side of the box to the centre of the goal.
Foul by Logan Chalmers (Dundee United).
Shaun Rutherford (Cowdenbeath) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Dundee United. Logan Chalmers replaces Scott Fraser.
Corner,  Dundee United. Conceded by David Syme.
Substitution, Dundee United. Scott Allardice replaces Jordie Briels.
Goal!  Dundee United 3, Cowdenbeath 0. Scott Fraser (Dundee United) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Penalty conceded by Jamie Pyper (Cowdenbeath) after a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty Dundee United. Matthew Smith draws a foul in the penalty area.
Attempt missed. Robbie Buchanan (Cowdenbeath) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
Substitution, Cowdenbeath. Josh Morris replaces Matthew McInally.
Attempt saved. Paul McMullan (Dundee United) right footed shot from more than 35 yards is saved in the top right corner.
Attempt saved. Robbie Buchanan (Cowdenbeath) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Goal!  Dundee United 2, Cowdenbeath 0. Billy King (Dundee United) right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Matthew Smith.
Second Half begins Dundee United 1, Cowdenbeath 0.
Substitution, Cowdenbeath. Joe McGovern replaces David McGurn because of an injury.
First Half ends, Dundee United 1, Cowdenbeath 0.
Delay in match Paul McMullan (Dundee United) because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Jamie Robson (Dundee United) left footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.

A:
Dundee United made it three Scottish League Cup first-round wins out of three with a home victory over Cowdenbeath in Group C.
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